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‘We will build a better league’: NWSL’s CBA talks take on new sense of urgency

Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit link arms at the sixth minute of their game on Oct. 6. (Jesse Louie/Just Women’s Sports)

When the NWSL Players Association decided to resume games on Oct. 6, less than a week after The Athletic’s report on former North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley changed the league forever, players knew it couldn’t be just another game day.

“We started from that premise, just this feeling that this is not business as usual. We need to acknowledge what’s happening in this moment,” PA Executive Director Meghann Burke tells Just Women’s Sports.

The players’ collective demonstration — interlocking arms in the center circle for a moment of silence in the sixth minute of every game — was powerful in both its simplicity and its pointedness. The sixth minute signified the six years it took for Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly’s stories of sexual coercion and emotional abuse to be told. But before the players showed their support on the field, the concept went through a number of iterations in a series of league-wide conversations.

Players had different ideas about what felt appropriate, ranging from the length of the demonstration to the act of solidarity itself. Finding a solution that worked for every player meant going beyond a simple majority.

“In a labor union, typically it’s majority rules. It’s a mini-democracy: Take a vote and you sort of go with what the majority wants to do,” Burke says.

But in a group of players with many different backgrounds, they knew they needed to be mindful of every person’s story, even the ones they weren’t aware of.

“When we thought about how it felt for one person or one team or one group, it didn’t feel right because it was too painful or too hard,” Burke says. “And so we immediately pivoted and evolved the conversation … [The demonstration] needed to be something that would feel healing and restorative and powerful, and the intention was not to cause more pain.”

The PA has taken what it calls a “trauma-informed” approach, making sure players feel supported as they close out the regular season this weekend and move into the postseason.

They’ve made a sports psychologist available to all players (some clubs have also provided their own). And they are pushing on the league to carry out investigations into past behavior, establish hiring protocols that vet candidates and work together to ratify the league’s first collective bargaining agreement, all with the intention of creating an environment where this sort of pain can never be inflicted again.

“One of the things that keeps me up at night is we’ll probably never know the full extent and scope of the damage that’s been done,” Burke says. “And so I think all of us have an obligation to be providing as many resources, not just to players but to youth soccer players, to parents, to coaches.

“This is the kind of thing that should rock not just our league, but our sport.”

Burke and the PA have the nearly impossible task of processing the intense emotions the Riley story evoked and pushing forward to reform the structures that enabled his behavior and that of other NWSL leaders found in violation of the league’s anti-harassment policy. To Burke, though, there is reason for cautious optimism about what happens next.

“I don’t think that the pain and anger that players have felt has subsided. I think this is too big of an issue for a few weeks to change that,” she says. “But I will say that our players and the Players Association is feeling very determined. We are bullish on the future of NWSL, but it’s got to be a league that is rebuilt around players, by players and for players.”

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NWSLPA president Tori Huster has been actively leading the players' efforts while competing with the Spirit. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Last week, the NWSL announced Marla Messing as its new interim CEO. She and club representatives have been present for the most recent round of CBA negotiations. Burke senses a new level of urgency in what she calls “a change of the guard,” when prior to the stories of abuse coming out, NWSL owners were inexplicably absent from CBA meetings.

“We now have clubs themselves at the bargaining table, which makes a huge difference,” Burke says. “I think they are coming to understand that some time has been lost, and there needs to be a significant uptick in the pace that this negotiation is moving. I do believe that they are working very hard to make up for that lost time.”

Burke knows that setting standards for player wages and rights through the CBA will be essential to creating more equitable power dynamics. She also recognizes that the league needs to make substantial changes to its hiring practices at every level, so that situations like Riley’s and Richie Burke’s with the Washington Spirit don’t happen again. That includes stricter policies and a commitment to transparency.

“It’s clear that the recent hiring practices and systems have failed players, and it has put people in harm’s way. And that’s something that requires an urgent and immediate response. It can’t wait for a CBA to be negotiated and resolved,” Burke says.

“There is a lot of anger, and there’s a lot of hurt, but there are also a lot of unanswered questions. That’s why the investigation is so important, because we need to understand who knew what and who knew what when, and why this was allowed to happen.”

Messing said the league had agreed “in principle” to the PA’s demands of a league-wide investigation that answers directly to the players. Burke confirmed Messing’s statement, though she says they still need to work out some details. Messing added that she wants the input of the PA and the Black Women’s Player Collective in decision-making, including the naming of a commissioner.

The investigations into league and club conduct will take time, as will the understanding of what past investigations have found. The process requires a level of transparency the NWSL hasn’t adopted until now.

“I have no idea what Portland’s investigation found in 2015. I’ve never seen it. I’ve never seen the results of the investigation of the Sarah Gorden situation in Houston earlier this year,” Burke says. “I’ve never seen source materials, witness interviews, things of that nature that will help us understand what went wrong.”

The PA is committed to approaching the results of the league investigation with an open mind and wants to stick to the facts of each case as much as possible. Beyond that, accountability comes with consequences. The presence of new faces in the league office, at least, has helped push other important conversations forward.

“I think that the people who have come to the bargaining table themselves are committed to finding solutions. I have no reason to think that they themselves have contributed to some of the bad acts that we’ve learned about,” Burke says. “The question is whether they’ll be able to pull the rest of the league along with them.”

While the PA focuses on formally addressing the systems that have allowed abuse to perpetrate women’s soccer, the players are proving their resiliency and influence in their own way.

The Black Women’s Player Collective launched a new website this month with presenting partner Adidas and has continued to push for the creation of 12 mini-pitches across the country by the end of 2021, most recently holding a clinic in Louisville. While closing out the NWSL season, they’re organizing their thoughts as a collective so that, when they do speak with the league, they’re ready.

“I think we’ve realized that the league is a bit out of sorts right now, so pushing from our side is one thing that we want to do,” Washington Spirit defender Tegan McGrady told local reporters after the team’s Oct. 13 match. “But [the BWPC] also know that we want to make sure that we have everything that we need so that when we do go to them, we are collective as one, and we can make sure that we’re asking for everything that we want at once.”

After the same match, Spirit midfielder and PA President Tori Huster emphasized that solidarity has been key to communication. “I don’t think checking in with players across the league is hard,” she said. “I think one of the things throughout this entire thing that is a positive is that we’ve been really collective in our efforts, and that only is possible because we’ve been communicating so frequently.”

McGrady noted that Huster had been on the phone non-stop as games resumed, which Huster admitted hasn’t been easy.

“​​I’m not sure that I could have ever imagined something like this in my career before. It is hard,” Huster said. “Even with our #NoMoreSideHustles campaign, we are able to multitask. A lot of us have other jobs. But I think if you factor in some of this — just the processing, the fact that this is super draining for us, and we’re expected to go out on the field and perform at a high level, at a professional soccer level — I don’t think we should have to do that, but we are doing it.”

Players across the league have said how grateful they are for the PA’s advocacy. For Burke, the feeling is mutual.

“Our teams are just extraordinary people. They’re smart, they’re compassionate, they’re deep,” she says. “We represent a diverse group of people. And what you’re finding is that our players are committed to supporting one another and allowing each other space to feel differently and to move through this differently, but to ultimately stand together, speaking out against this horrible thing that has been allowed to happen that can never happen again.”

Each side has moved quickly to commit to systematic change. What comes next, however, might more so resemble the rebuilding of a soccer league in a new and better image.

Burke was a player when the Women’s United Soccer Association and Women’s Professional Soccer folded in succession, in the years before the NWSL emerged as the longest-running women’s professional league in the U.S. Her faith in the NWSL’s future comes not only from the players but also from the feeling that, this time, there are too many invested fans and sponsors sticking by them for it to fail.

“What I would say to fans is: Yes, please buy season tickets, please come to games, please show that you’re going to demand a league that is rebuilt by, for, and around players. And you’re not going to be silent, and you’re not going to run away, because that’s the easiest way for these systems to become re-entrenched,” she says.

“I mean this sincerely with every fiber in my being that we can build a better league, and we will build a better league. And it’s because players are demanding it, but it’s also because fans and sponsors have our backs.”

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

Chawinga Crowned NWSL MVP as Bethune, Sams Win Additional 2024 Awards

KC goalkeeper AD Franch lifts Temwa Chawinga on her shoulder after a win.
Current striker Temwa Chawinga won the 2024 MVP award in her first NWSL season on Friday. (Peter Aiken/Imagn Images)

After securing spots on the Best XI First Team on Monday, Kansas City's Temwa Chawinga, Washington's Croix Bethune, and Orlando's Emily Sams picked up even more 2024 NWSL awards this week.

On Friday, KC striker Chawinga added 2024 MVP to her stacked resume, one day after Bethune and Sams snagged their respective position awards.

A striking first NWSL season for KC's Chawinga

It's almost impossible to believe that 2024 was Chawinga's first NWSL season, but the newly minted MVP only joined Kansas City in January.

The Malawi international blasted into the league's history books with 20 goals this year, ousting former NWSL star Sam Kerr from atop the single-season scoring record.

That effort earned the Current star the 2024 Golden Boot. She additionally notched league first along the way, becoming the only player to ever score against all teams in a single season.

Proving herself 2024's leader in capitalizing on opportunities, the 26-year-old took the second-most shots in the league but put the most on target. A menace in the box, her subsequent speed and agility helped Chawinga lead the NWSL with 18 of her 20 goals netted from inside the 18.

"We are so proud of Temwa for earning this award," said KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski on Friday. "Temwa has come so far this season in a short amount of time and is so important to our team, she is the clear MVP of both our team and the league."

Washington rookie Croix Bethune runs across the pitch in a match.
2024 Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune became the first NWSL Midfielder of the Year on Thursday. (David Gonzales/USA TODAY Sports)

Bethune's unmatched NWSL rookie debut

Speaking of history-making first-year NWSL players, Washington standout Bethune became a bonafide league star in her professional debut, one that earned her three end-of-season awards. Along with her Best XI First Team nod, Bethune became the 2024 Rookie of the Year on Tuesday, then capped her individual hardware haul by being named the NWSL's first-ever Midfielder of the Year on Thursday.

As the No. 3 overall pick in the last-ever NWSL Draft, the Georgia alum made her presence on the professional pitch immediately known, snagging Rookie of the Month honors for every month she was eligible. She also became the first rookie to ever notch three assists in a single match.

Bethune, who also won Olympic gold with the USWNT in August, notched five goals and an NWSL record-tying 10 assists in her 2024 campaign. Even more impressively, the Spirit star did so in just 17 games, missing the last nine matches after a late-August injury ended her season.

"I'm so grateful," Bethune told JWS at NWSL Championship Media Day in Kansas City after winning Midfielder of the Year. "Being out a lot of the season with injury [and] being able to achieve goals that I set for myself — thank you to the league and everyone who supports me."

Orlando center back Emily Sams lifts her 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year trophy in the air.
Emily Sams is the first Orlando player to win Defender of the Year. (Kylie Graham/Imagn Images)

Sams named top NWSL defender

After helping Orlando lead the NWSL with 13 shutouts, fewest goals conceded, and most consecutive minutes without giving up a goal, center back Sams was named 2024 Defender of the Year (DOTY) on Thursday, becoming the first Pride player to earn the honor.

Sams now joins an elite club of seven defenders to ever win the award, including four-time DOTY Becky Sauerbrunn and last year's back-to-back winner Naomi Girma.

Shield-winners Orlando led the NWSL this season, but Sams topped the Pride's backline, leading the club in clearances, blocks, and possessions in the defensive third. Plus, the 25-year-old notched the second-most recoveries on the NWSL's stat sheet with 163, and she'll look to continue shutting down opponents when Orlando faces Washington in Saturday's 2024 NWSL Championship.

Individual numbers aside, Sams was quick to share credit with her teammates on Thursday, saying, "this is literally impossible without all of you guys. Shout out to Anna, Kylie, Bells, Corey and everyone else who played on the backline this year — I can't do what I do without you guys. Lets go win the championship."

2024 NWSL end-of-season awards

  • Golden Boot: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
  • MVP: Temwa Chawinga, KC Current
  • Rookie of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
  • Midfielder of the Year: Croix Bethune, Washington Spirit
  • Defender of the Year: Emily Sams, Orlando Pride
  • Goalkeeper of the Year: Ann-Katrin Berger, Gotham FC
  • Coach of the Year: Seb Hines, Orlando Pride

USWNT to Face Japan, Australia, Colombia in 2025 SheBelieves Cup

The USWNT raise their 2024 SheBelieves Cup trophy.
The USWNT won their seventh SheBelieves Cup in 2024. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

The 2025 SheBelieves Cup field is officially set, as the world No. 1 USWNT's path to a sixth-straight victory in the annual tournament will feature matchups with 2024 Olympians No. 7 Japan, No. 15 Australia, and No. 21 Colombia.

After the Paris Olympic Games forced an abbreviated four-match, two-day format in 2024, this 10th edition will return to the tournament's original setup of three double-headers in February. Round-robin play will again determine the Cup champion via accumulated points, with goal differential serving as tiebreaker.

The 2025 tournament will kick off at Houston's Shell Energy Stadium on February 20th. The quartet will then battle at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on the 23rd before wrapping up the Cup at San Diego's Snapdragon Stadium on the 26th.

USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and defender Emily Sonnett pose with the 2024 SheBelieves Cup trophy.
Alyssa Naeher and Emily Sonnett have been on all nine US SheBelieves Cup rosters. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

A history of USWNT SheBelieves dominance

While Australia and Colombia will make their SheBelieves Cup debuts, the 2025 competition will be Japan's third straight trip and fifth overall appearance in the US-hosted tournament.

Other than France's 2017 victory and England's 2019 title, the USWNT has won all other iterations for a total of seven trophies.

That streak, plus their astounding 71-2-15 combined all-time record against the three visitors — marred only by single 1-0 losses to Japan in 2012 and Australia in 2018 — make the US heavily favored to win an eighth SheBelieves Cup.

World-class contenders square off for SheBelieves

That said, it won't be easy, as every 2025 contender poses a challenge. Each has already played the USA this year, starting when Colombia fell 3-0 to the States in their Concacaf W Gold Cup quarterfinal in March.

Las Cafeteras didn't have to face the eventual gold medalists during the 2024 Olympics, unlike Australia and Japan. The USWNT knocked the Matildas out of the Paris tournament with a 2-1 win in group play, then narrowly escaped a tough Nadeshiko side in a 1-0 overtime quarterfinal thriller.

All three visiting teams will be gunning for a redemption win over the US come February. That high-stakes competition is something US head coach Emma Hayes welcomes.

"This will be my first SheBelieves Cup, but I’ve followed the tournament, and it always produces close games between top teams," the US boss said in Wednesday’s announcement.

"All four of these teams were in the last World Cup and Olympics, and all are in the building process to qualify for the next World Cup, so to get three games against talented teams and players in a format that replicates group play at a world championship is valuable in our process. All the games will be great tests for the teams and fun for all the fans."

Japan's Seike Kiko and the USWNT's Jenna Nighswonger battle for position during the 2024 SheBelieves Cup.
Japan will join the SheBelieves Cup for the fifth time in 2025. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The full 2025 SheBelieves Cup schedule for the USWNT

  • Thursday, February 20th (Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas)
    • Japan vs. Australia, 5 PM ET
    • USWNT vs. Colombia, 8 PM ET
  • Sunday, February 23rd (State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona)
    • Colombia vs. Japan, 2 PM ET
    • USWNT vs. Australia, 5 PM ET
  • Wednesday, February 26th (Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, California)
    • Australia vs. Colombia, 7:30 PM ET
    • USWNT vs. Japan, 10:30 PM ET

How to watch the USWNT at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup

Tickets for all 2025 SheBelieves Cup dates and locations are currently available online.

For those unable to make the trip, all USWNT matches will air live on TBS, with the three non-US games will be available to stream on Max.

Weekend NCAA Basketball Action Features Top-Ranked College Matchups

South Carolina's Raven Johnson drives past UCLA's Londynn Jones to the basket.
The last meeting between South Carolina and UCLA was in 2023's March Madness. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

At least two of the nation's best NCAA basketball teams will see their undefeated 2024/25 campaigns end this weekend, when a pair of cutthroat college clashes tests the limits of four championship contenders.

First, No. 6 Notre Dame will visit No. 3 USC on Saturday, before No. 1 South Carolina takes on the Trojans’ crosstown rival No. 5 UCLA on Sunday.

The Notre Dame bench cheers as guard Hannah Hidalgo puts up a lay-up in an NCAA college basketball game.
Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo will square off against fellow sophomore superstar, USC's JuJu Watkins, on Saturday. (Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune/ USA Today Network/Imagn Images)

Saturday's NCAA showdown features superstar sophomores

All eyes will be on preseason All-American sophomore guards JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo when the Irish contend with their season's first ranked opponent on Saturday.

Already a phenom, Watkins became the fastest Trojan to 1,000 career points last Friday — and she did it by a mile. The previous record-holder, legend Cheryl Miller, needed 48 games to hit the same mark.

As for Hidalgo, she's already hit the century mark across Notre Dame’s four matchups to average 25 points per game — the fifth-best offensive rate in the country.

The Irish's other secret weapon, guard Olivia Miles, is also back, returning from her February 2023 ACL tear with a vengeance in the Irish's season opener. Already averaging 18.3 points per game, Miles has also banked 27 assists over Notre Dame's four games — more than twice that of any of her teammates.

Between Hildago and Miles, plus ND's admittedly lopsided matchups so far, the South Bend squad has blasted their opponents by a 42.5-point average scoring margin this season.

It's a similar story for USC, who have been on a tear since their narrow 68-66 season-opening win over then-No. 20 Ole Miss. The Trojans thrashed their next three opponents by outscoring them by a gobsmacking average of 57 points.

The Trojans will need all that offense, plus the stylings of Watkins and All-American forward Kiki Iriafen, to handle the Irish on Saturday. Notre Dame holds the 8-2 all-time series advantage between the two teams, though they haven't squared off since 2011. Should USC emerge victorious, it will be their first win over the Irish since 2006.

UCLA center Lauren Betts celebrates a play in an NCAA college basketball game.
UCLA standout Lauren Betts will try to dominate the paint over South Carolina's Chloe Kitts on Sunday. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Sunday puts powerhouses in the paint

The subsequent Sunday battle between UCLA and South Carolina — who set a program-record 43-game win streak on Wednesday — will likely be decided in the paint, where both team's superstars thrive.

The Gamecocks' depth keeps their stat sheet fairly balanced, making junior forward Chloe Kitts’s team-leading rates in scoring and rebounding that much more impressive.

That said, her UCLA counterpart, junior center Lauren Betts, has been dominant. By averaging a double-double across the Bruins' four tilts with 21.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, Betts is already sparking National Player of the Year commentary.

Both squads began their 2024/25 campaigns with tight wins, but while UCLA's came over then-No. 17 Louisville, South Carolina was nearly shocked by unranked Michigan. On the other hand, the Gamecocks are the only team to have handled a Top-10 opponent so far this season, confidently downing then-No. 9 NC State just six days after their near-disaster with the Wolverines.

Sunday's showdown kicks off a gauntlet of four ranked matchups in five games for South Carolina. Even though UCLA haven't defeated the Gamecocks this century, the Bruins are the biggest challenge to the reigning champions' undefeated streak on their 2024 docket.

Depending on which version of South Carolina shows up, a combination of the bigs and each team's overall consistency will likely determine Sunday's victor.

How to watch this weekend's Top-6 NCAA basketball games

Notre Dame and USC will tip off the weekend's matchups at 4 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on NBC.

On Sunday, FS1 will broadcast South Carolina vs. UCLA at 4 PM ET on Sunday.

Direct from Kansas City, ‘The Late Sub’ Previews the 2024 NWSL Championship

Key NWSL Championship player Spirit forward Trinity Rodman makes a heart sign at fans after an NWSL match.
Washington will lean on top scorer Trinity Rodman in Saturday's NWSL Championship match. (Amber Searls/Imagn Images)

On today's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins joins the chat from Kansas City, where Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit will kick off the 2024 NWSL Championship on Saturday.

Watkins breaks down the full Championship matchup, from each team's path to the Final to the tactics to expect on Saturday's pitch and everything in between. She also dishes on key players to watch — including Pride star Barbra Banda and Spirit attacker Trinity Rodman — and some of the recent injuries keeping star athletes on the sidelines.

Later, Watkins congratulates UConn head coach Geno Auriemma on Wednesday's record-breaking 1,217th victory — one that made saw him pass retired Stanford boss Tara VanDerveer to become the winningest college basketball coach in NCAA history.

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes in women’s sports. This is the weekly rundown you’ve been missing, covering the USWNT, NWSL, WNBA, college hoops, and whatever else is popping off in women’s sports each week. Special guest appearances with the biggest names in women’s sports make The Late Sub a must-listen for every fan. Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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